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Lord of the Flies - Sentence Starters and Vocabulary
Pupils prepare for the reading of iam Golding's novel, The Lord of the Flies, by exploring the theme through a discussion and sentence starter activity.
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Interactive Approach To "the Scarlet Letter"
Students study Puritan literature by studying daily life in a Puritan colony prior to beginning this unit of lessons. They read the Scarlett Letter and participate in literature activities while completing the unit.
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Science Fiction
Students complete compare and contrast activities for two stories about racism and tolerance in the science fiction genre. In this literary analysis lesson, students read a Ray Bradbury short story and Walter Mosley poem, watch a related...
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Students write a literary response essay to Maya Angelou's novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this literary response instructional activity, students complete pre-writing activities, discuss the rubric for the essay, and visit...
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Disease and Culture through Literary Time
Students select books to read that include disease as a plot or theme component. They fill out a matrix for the disease in their novel and write a five-paragraph paper about their book. Students use the rest of the week's classes to...
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"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation
Why did Orson Welles' 1938 Broadcast of a adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds cause such a panic? To answer this question, class members listen to the original broadcast and research the panic that resulted. They then engage...
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Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury - Chapter 3
Pupils compare and contrast narrative speakers in Faulkner's novel, The Sound and the Fury. They discuss Jason as a representation of the Compson's changing family structure. Students describe Faulkner's South in the context of the...
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Literature Review
High schoolers review for a literature exam by answering knowledge question, interpretation questions and judgement questions about a novel or story they have just read.
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My Antonia: Body Biography Book Report
Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where learners choose to...
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Vocabulary Strategy
In order to truly understand The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, you'll need to provide middle schoolers with background information about the Holocaust. After contributing as many words as they can associate with the Holocaust, such as...
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The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 21-23
After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...
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Magic Squares for Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act II, scene 5
Readers of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night use a magic squares matrix to match vocabulary words from Act II, Scene 5 with their definitions. An answer key is provided.
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Night Compare Contrast
Using a constructivist approach and a graphic organizer, small groups work together to begin a paper, comparing and contrasting the novella Night and the movie Life is Beautiful. Assuming that your learners have studied both of these...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 8 and 9
How does an author's choice of artistic medium influence an audience? What about how an author chooses to transform original source material? These are the questions class members grapple with as they compare scenes from episode IV...
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Spooky Analysis
Focus on building suspense as well as evaluating web sites through creative writing. After introducing the idea of suspense and holding a discussion, class members complete a WebQuest, during which they find inspiration for their own...
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Things Fall Apart Reading Guide
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart can present challenges even for experienced readers. Here’s a schedule and corresponding guide that will help readers focus on and record important events. The packet includes fact-based, interpretative,...
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Planet of the Apes
The "Planet of the Apes" is becoming a staple in many high school classrooms and provides a way to explore a variety of topics.
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Literature: Isabel Allende
Students watch and respond to a Bill Moyers Now video on the Chilean author, Isabel Allende. They brainstorm a list of recent events that might inspire writers and choose one to write about in poetic, diary, or short story form.
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Exploring War Themes in Art and Poetry
What is war? Young scholars discuss the ethical dilemma of war by viewing Picasso's painting entitled "Guernica" and write down everything they see in the painting. Then they choose one emotion that best summarizes their emotional...
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Dawn by Elie Wiesel
Students have a better comprehension of the personal struggle of a survivor and the events which led to the establishment of the sovereign nation of Israel. They recognize the historical context for the events of the book. Students...
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Figurative Language and Symbolism
Students identify figurative language and symbolism in poetry as well as prose. In this literary elements lesson, students read and discuss the role of symbolism in Yellow Man by Moonlight, A Christmas Carl, The House of Wings, and...